CODE – 02-023-948

NAME – Chinese Type 37

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – Nationalist China

DATE OF MANUFACTURE – 1948-1949

CALIBER – 9x19mm

OVERALL LENGTH – 54.6 cm (21.5 in) Stock closed), 73.2 cm (28.8 in) Stock extended

BARREL LENGTH – 21.1 cm (8.31 in)

RIFLING (TYPE & TWIST) – 4 Grooves, Right hand twist 1 turn in

BULLET DIAMETER – 9.02 mm (0.355 in)

BULLET WEIGHT – 7.45 g (115 gr)

MUZZLE VELOCITY – 396 m/s (1300 fps)

MUZZLE ENERGY – 585 j (432 ft/lbs)

WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 3.63 kg (8 lbs)

WEIGHT (LOADED) – 4.23 kg (9 lbs 5.3 oz)

SIGHTS – Front sight – Blade, Rear sight – Peep, Set to 91 m (100 yds)

EFFECTIVE RANGE – 91 m (100 yds)

OPERATION – Blowback, fires from open bolt

TYPE OF FIRE – Full automatic

RATE OF FIRE – 96 rpm

CYCLIC ROF – 400 rpm

FEED DEVICE – 32 round box magazine, Double column, Single feed

FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 0.26 kg (9 oz)

FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (LOADED) – 0.60 kg (1 lb 5.2 oz)

BASIC LOAD – 4 magazines (128 rounds)

LOAD WT – 2.4 kg (5 lbs 4.8 oz)

MANUFACTURER – 60th Jin Ling Arsenal, Nanking, China, Manufacture continued as the Type 39 on Taiwan after China fell

STATUS – Obsolete

SERVICE – Nationalist Chinese Military

     This was a copy of the 9mm conversion of the M3A1 submachinegun as produced by the Nationalist Chinese. The Nationalist Chinese has received a vast amount of lend-lease material from the US Government during WWII and their fight against the Japanese. After WWII and the surrender of Japan, the Nationalist Chinese turned to defend their government from the encroaching Communist troops of Mao Tse Tung. One of the weapons the Nationalists copied from the US was the 9mm M3A1. Besides some very slight changes, the copy was complete down to the adapter placed in the magazine well to allow the use of the British 9mm Sten-style magazine, which the Nationalists also copied. When the Nationalist Chinese lost their fight against the Communists in 1949 and retreated to Taiwan, they took the bulk of the machinery needed to produce the Type 37. When the submachinegun was back in production, it received the new designation Type 39.